Renowned for its white-sand beaches that stretch north through the suburbs of Reñaca and Concón, Viña del Mar is also known as Chile’s Ciudad Jardín (Garden City) for its Mediterranean cityscapes. Here’s an overview of the area and some essentials for planning your trip.

Noteworthy for a network of integrated hiking trails that cross ridges and scale summits with spectacular views from the Pacific to the summit of Aconcagua (across the border in Argentina), Parque Nacional La Campana is also a historic site.

Nothing else distinguishes Valparaíso so much as its hillside ascensores. The funiculars which date from the late 19th century were once 33 in number but are now down to 14 or so with only half a dozen functional.

Colchagua is the best organized of Chile’s emerging wine routes featuring 14 different wineries. Several open on a drop-in basis or short notice, others by reservation only. This guide includes complementary sights and accommodations.

El Teniente is the world’s largest underground mine. Its original residential community of Sewell is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, emphasizing the historic, economic, and social significance of copper mining in the region.

Set in Parque Pedro del Río Zañartu, the late-19th-century mansion belonging to businessman, farmer, whaler, nitrate baron, and writer Pedro del Río Zañartu was opened to the public as a museum in 1938.